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About the author
Ryan Neelam
Ryan Neelam was Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute. He led the flagship annual Lowy Institute Poll, was project director for the Global Diplomacy Index, and wrote about climate diplomacy and multilateral policy.
In 2023, the vast majority of Australians (82%) see the alliance between Australia and the United States as ‘very important’ or ‘fairly important’ to Australia’s security, down five points from a record high last year of 87%.
High levels of public support for Australia’s alliance with the United States have been a consistent feature over 19 years of Lowy Institute polling. However, during this period, Australians’ support for the alliance has tended to be even higher during Democratic than Republican administrations.
At the same time, three-quarters of Australians (74%) think the alliance makes it more likely Australia will be drawn into a war in Asia. Six in ten (61%) think the alliance makes Australia safer from attack or pressure from China.
US President Joe Biden has announced his intention to contest the US presidential election in 2024. At time of writing, his controversial predecessor, Donald Trump, appears to be the front-runner to receive the Republican nomination, despite facing a range of ongoing legal cases.
Three-quarters (73%) of Australians think the United States is more respected in the world under President Biden, whereas only one-quarter (24%) think the United States was more respected under President Trump.
